by Jody Tuso-Key; Managing Editor

If you ask me what genre of theater I prefer, my first instinct is to say an uplifting musical. They’re the comfort food of the theater world—reliable, satisfying, and plentiful. In fact, they make up a pretty large percentage of what’s on Atlanta stages at any given time. I consider them the main course of my entertainment diet.

But every once in a while, something different lands on the menu—a serious drama or a dark comedy—and that can be a refreshing change for the theatrical palate. Think of it as the spicy dish that wakes up your taste buds after a steady diet of show tunes and jazz hands.

This past weekend I decided to see FIRES, OHIO on the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre. Fire has been a recurring theme in my life ever since my apartment caught fire on November 2nd, so naturally a play with the word “fires” right there in the title caught my attention. I figured it might be therapeutic…or at the very least, thematically on brand.

According to the press release: “As wildfires rage closer and closer to a small Ohio college town, the mopey grown children and second wife of a sort-of-mediocre professor are threatened by another kind of crisis: a visit from a family friend that threatens to bring all of their tensions to a towering inferno. Now each of them must choose: stay and smolder, or leave and burn? Inspired by the classic family drama Uncle Vanya, FIRES, OHIO updates a beloved story for our painfully absurd present, taking a hilarious and heartfelt look at the natural (and personal) disasters that transform our everyday lives.”

In other words: dysfunctional family drama with a side of impending wildfire. What could possibly go wrong?

This play is the product of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, which spotlights emerging playwrights with a full production. The 22nd competition winner is FIRES, OHIO, written by Beth Hyland, an MFA graduate of the University of California, San Diego. The show is enjoying its world premiere on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre through March 22.

I love a good premiere, especially at the Alliance, since it often serves as a launchpad to Broadway. When I’m in New York, I can proudly boast that I saw it first in Atlanta—a claim I have shamelessly made numerous times while recommending MAYBE HAPPY ENDING to strangers looking for show suggestions. If FIRES, OHIO eventually makes the leap, I’ll happily add it to my list of “I saw the spark before the wildfire.”

This particular premiere also sparked my interest because of the cast. I’ve seen Billy Harrigan Tighe (John) in many an uplifting City Springs Theatre Company production, and his effervescent stage energy is always a joy. I’ve also enjoyed many performances by David De Vries (Professor), both on stage and screen, and he’s one of those actors who never fails to deliver.

Beth Hyland, making her Alliance directorial debut, does an excellent job of taking what is on the page and lighting it up on stage for the first time. Directing a brand-new work is no small feat. A director has to read the script and somehow envision the entire theatrical ecosystem—actors, set, sound, pacing, rhythm—and then assemble a team capable of making it all happen without the whole thing bursting into flames. Fortunately, Hyland keeps everything burning at just the right temperature.

The versatile Hertz Stage was configured as a wide-angle three-quarter thrust for this production. The set, designed by Lex Liang, depicts a tidy living room with a loft accessed by a central staircase. The décor is tasteful and slightly vintage—minimalist, well-kept, and quietly suggesting that the people who live here once had their lives more together than they currently do.

Liang also designed the costumes, which feel authentic and unforced. Lighting designer Robert J. Aguilar keeps things natural and warm, while sound designer Madeline Oldham delivers crisp transitions and environmental effects. In a straight play, sound design is often the invisible glue holding everything together—and here it works seamlessly.

The show opens with the main character, Sonia (Rebeca Robles), writing fan fiction. Specifically: Harry Potter erotica featuring Snape and Hermione in a scene that is…let’s say extremely enthusiastic. It’s hilarious, slightly horrifying, and the perfect way to set the tone for a play that isn’t afraid to lean into awkward comedy.

From there, we’re dropped into a family situation that is already smoldering before the first emotional match gets struck.

Along with the looming threat of wildfire and potential evacuation, there’s also a complicated web of romantic tension. It’s very much a “he loves her, but she loves him, but he’s into somebody else” scenario—one that would absolutely make the J. Geils Band proud and their song Love Stinks feel right at home in the background.

Rebeca Robles’s Sonia perfectly captures the exhausted, underappreciated family member who keeps the household functioning while her own dreams slowly simmer on the back burner. She’s the professor’s daughter, the household manager, the emotional shock absorber—and the one person everyone relies on without fully acknowledging it.

Billy Harrigan Tighe’s John is the family’s resident “failure to launch,” though Tighe gives the character more dimension than that label suggests. Known for playing charming musical leads, he shows a deeper depth to his acting leaning into John’s aimlessness while revealing flashes of vulnerability underneath the sarcasm and frustration.

David De Vries as the Professor delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as an aging academic dealing with a mysterious illness while still trying to assert his authority. Like many patriarchs in family dramas, he insists on maintaining control even when the emotional furniture around him is clearly on fire.

Tiffany Denise Hobbs plays Elena, the professor’s younger wife and former student. Elena is vibrant and restless, bringing an energy to the household that both attracts and irritates the other characters. Hobbs balances charm and quiet dissatisfaction beautifully.

Chisholm Awachie portrays Erin, the daughter of the professor’s best friend and a visiting lecturer. Erin enters the houseguest situation with confidence and intellect, quickly becoming a catalyst for several emotional flare-ups. Meanwhile, she’s dealing with the real-world stress of her grandparents evacuating their home due to the approaching fires.

The ensemble works together beautifully, creating a slow-burning narrative that builds tension, humor, and emotional complexity as it goes. Like a good campfire, it starts with a few sparks, catches steadily, and eventually sends some unexpected embers flying.

We enjoy dramatic comedies because, deep down, we’re all a little bit nosy. Watching someone else’s dysfunctional family implode from the safe distance of a theater seat is strangely comforting. It’s the theatrical equivalent of thinking, “Well…at least our family isn’t that bad.”

FIRES, OHIO absolutely delivers on that front—and just when you think you know where things are going, the show throws in a plot twist that lands like someone tossing gasoline on the fire.

No spoilers here. You’ll have to see it for yourself.

This show is Speakeysie Recommended, but it only runs through March 22. So grab your tickets before they go up in smoke.

As always, thanks for your readership—and peace be with you.